My Tongren Experiences--By Joe Gibbons

My name is Joe Gibbons. I'm a volunteer teacher from Denver, Colorado, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />U.S.A. living here in Tongren, Guizhou. I first arrived in Tongren in August 2010, and since then have not only taught many English classes, but I' ve also learned a lot about Chinese culture and the Chinese language.

At first, life here was a little difficult for me, but now I'm completely used to living here. Most of the classes I've taught have been to Business students. However, I have also had the opportunity to teach Tourism students, Medicine students, and even some faculty members. Each class is a little different depending on what students I'm teaching, but regardless of the students' major I try to create a comfortable and interesting learning environment.

In addition to teaching English I also help organize the schools weekly English Corner meeting. This is a great time outside of the classroom for interested students from all different departments to come and practice their oral English skills. During English Corner we chat, play games, and sometimes watch movies. Aside from English Corner I also organized an English Literature club for the faculty members with high English levels. The goal of this club was to promote sharing ideas while understanding the differences in perspectives by analyzing an assigned piece of reading. Both of these activities, English Corner and Literature Club, have provided me with a deeper understanding and stronger relationships with my students and co-workers.

I'm so happy and honored to have been able to come to this wonderful city, meet so many new friends, and to call Tongren my “Chinese hometown”. I hope one day in the future I'll be able to come back to my hometown here in Tongren.